Street oak curtain fixture



J. A. WATT. STREET GARVGURTAIN FIXTURE.

(No 'Model.)

"No. 293,291. Patented Feb. 12, 1884.

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JOHN ALEXANDER WATT, or BOSTON, ASSIGNOR or ONE-FOURTH TO HENRY B.sELLoN AND JAMEs L. WHITAKER, BOTH or soMEEvmLE, MASS.

STREET-CAR-CURTAIN F-IX TURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,291, datedFebruary,12,'1884.

' Application filed July 3, 1883. (No model] To all whom it mayconcern.- I

Be it known that I, JOHN A. WVATT, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements inStreet-Oars, of which the following; is a specification. I

This invention has for its object to enable the side curtains of an openstreet-car to be raised and lowered by an attendant at one end of thecar; and it consists in the combination, with an open street-car orother open-sided covered vehicle, of curtains suspended at the sides ofthe vehicle and an operating device for each curtain extended to one orboth ends of the car, whereby an attendant at an end of the car canraise or lower said curtains, as I will now proceed to describe andclaim. A

Of the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 represents a longitudinal section of a car provided with myimprovement. Fig. 2 represents aperspective view of a portionof theroof, one of the supports thereof, and a portion of the curtain providedwith my improvement. Figs. 3 and 4 represent views of modifications.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, a represents the roof, 6 b the roof-supports, and c thefloor, of anordinary open street-car.

d represents one of the curtains, which are suspended at the sides ofthe car, so that they can be lowered to protect the occupants from rainor sun. Heretofore these curtains have been gathered or rolled up whennot in use and held by loops attached to the roof of the car. Theconductor in raising or releasing the curtains has always been obligedto commence at one end of the curtain and raise or release the same bydegrees until he reaches the 0pposite end, the operation beingnecessarily slow and therefore distracting the attention of theconductor from his ordinary duties, and

' often subjecting him to annoyance from water while he is performingsaid operation.

In carrying out my invention I provide an operating device adapted toraise the entire In the embodiment-of my invention shown inFigs. 1 and2, said operatingdevice is a cord, f, extending horizontally over roller9 g, or other suitable supports, from one end of the car to the other,and a seriesof clew-lines, 71, secured to the said cord and extendingdownwardly to the lower portion of the curtain to which they are firmlysecured at their lower ends. The clew-lines h pass between rollers t i,j ournaled in brackets attached to the standards Z2. Rings are attachedto the curtain, and the clew-lines pass loosely through saidrings, thelatter keeping the curtain against the clew-lines when the curtain islowered and causing it to gather or fold properly when raised.

It will be seen that when the curtain is lowered, as shown in Figs. 1and 2, theconductor or the driver can, by pulling on one end of the cordf, draw the clew-line over the pulleys z, and thus raise the curtainfrom end to end. When the curtain is raised it may be held by makingfast that end of the cord f that was pulled to raise the curtain. WVhenit is desirable to lower the curtain it is only necessary to release thecordf, the curtain then falling by its own weight. The pulleys it enablethe cord f and its clew-lines to be pulled with 7 tains supported by aroller, ,2, which is j0urnaled in brackets attached o the end of thestandards 22. The roller has a one orboth ends a ratchet, m, aflixed toit, with which engages a dog, 12, pivoted to a standard, I). The rolleralso has at one or both ends a crank,o,by which it may be rotated towind up the curtain. The

dog or dogs a holdthe roller when the curtain is wound up, and when itis desirable to lower the curtain the roller is released by raising thedogs from their ratchets. Each dog,when

two are employed,may beprovidedwith a cord,

2, running over a roller, q, to the opposite end of the car, so thatboth dogs can be raised by an attendant at one end of the car.

To prevent the central portion of the roller [from sagging, I provide anarm, 1, attached to the car andhaving a rubber roller, 5, projectingunder the central portion of the roller Z and supporting the latter.(See Fig. 4.)

t represents an awning or rain-guard, composed of a strip of canvas,attached to the roof of the car at one edge and having a stiff bar, 2,attached to its free edge. The bar 2 is connected by pivoted links 3with the standards I). The strip 16 may be lowered, as shown in Fig. 3,to prevent rain from passing into the car over the roller Z, or may beraised, as shown in Fig. 4, when not required for such use.

I claim- 1. The combination,with an open street-car or other open-sidedcovered vehicle, of ourtains suspended at the sides of the vehicle, andan Operating device for each curtain extended to one or both ends of thecar, whereby an attendant at an end of the car can raise or lower saidcurtains, as set forth.

I 7 JOHN ALEXANDER WATT. Witnesses:

O. F. BROWN, A. L. WHITE.

